elude

verb

ē-ˈlüd 

eluded; eluding

transitive verb

1

: to avoid adroitly : evade

the mice eluded the traps

managed to elude capture

2

: to escape the perception, understanding, or grasp of

subtlety simply eludes them

victory continued to elude us

3

: defy sense 2

it eludes explanation

Synonyms of elude

• evade
• avoid
• escape

Choose the Right Synonym for elude

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Examples of elude in a Sentence

The killer was able to elude the police.

The killer has eluded capture.

The cause of the disease continues to elude researchers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trojan picks up another sound — a yellow-breasted chat that has been eluding them. —Natalie Escobar, NPR, 12 May 2026

If a solution continued to elude Milan, Roma belatedly found one. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 May 2026

She was also charged with several traffic violations, including failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury, unsafe lane changing and attempting to elude uniformed police. —Brendan Nordstrom, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2026

Ronaldo, at 41, still seeks the one grand prize that has eluded him. —Miami Herald, 11 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin ēlūdere "to trick, avoid, evade, flout," from ē-, variant of ex- ex- entry 1 + lūdere "to play, jest, tease" — more at ludicrous

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing elude

• elude someone's grasp

Rhymes for elude

• accrued
• allude
• collude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude
• exclude

Kids Definition

elude

verb

ē-ˈlüd 

eluded; eluding

1

: to avoid or escape by being quick, skillful, or tricky

2

: to escape the understanding or grasp of

the explanation eludes me